Improvement in musical instruments



dhtilcd stima @met emitir.

CHARLES FREDERIC HILL, 'or NEW YORK, N. Y.

Letters Patent No. 98,163, dated December 21, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern:

my invention, when the course of the wind is governed by the combination-slides.

Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5, are plan views of a combina`4 tion-slide, in different positions and modifications'.

Figure 6 is a. longitudinal vertical section of my invention, when the -Course of the wind is governed by the combination-levers. Figure 7 is an 'inverted plan of the same.

' Figure 8 is a diagram, showing-the position of tlie.-

reeds in my instrument, when in three -rows.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in the arrangement of a combiuation-slide, in combination with two or more sets of reeds or pipes, in such a manner, that only one guideway is requiredfor two or more slides, a'nd by adjusting said slides, the wind can'be admitted to one or more sets of reeds or pipes simultaneously, or the wind can be cut olf from all the reeds or pipes, and that two or more reeds cau be used for each note, and controlled by one and the same slide, and thereby the construction aud operation of a musical wind-instrument are materially simplified. l

It consists, further, in the arrangement of levers in the interior of the wind-chest, each lever controlling the position of two or more valves for the admission of wind to thc reeds, and connecting with 'one of the linger-keys of the instrument, iu combination of the roller-stops, provided with arms, 'which can be made to bear on the wind-valves in such manner, that by adjusting said roller-stops, the number of valves governed by each lever and iingei-key can be regulated at pleasure,'and the operation of the instrument is simplified.

1t consists, further, in the arrangement of pipes,

. each pipe covering two or more reeds, in such a manner, that by one and the same pipe the sound of two or more reeds is increased in volume, and thereby the number of pipes required, and consequently the cost of the instrument, are materially reduced.l

In the drawing- The letterA designates the reed-board, ou which are secured the reeds a.

Each reedv communicates, by a separate channel, b,

with the wind-chest B, and the communication be- 'tween these channels and the wind-chest can be opened or closed by a combination-slide, C;

` 1n-l musical wind-instruments of the ordinary construction, each setof pipes isv provided with its own slide, each slide moving in its separate guide-way, and connecting with its own stop, and the area of the windchest and of the sound-board must necessarily be expanded, to afford room for the several slides; and,

furthermore, ,the reeds ot' each register, in ordinary reed-instrumentsare placedso close together that it is not possible to introduce more than one reed to each l note, or to apply pipes to the reeds.

My combination-slide is so constructed that it requires only one guide-way, and admits wind-to two or more sets of reeds.

Said combination-slide. as shown in gs. l, 2, 3, and 4,"consists ot' three slides, c d e, which. are separated from each other by two partitions, f g.

The partitions f g are perforated with channels or ports h, corresponding to the channels b, which lead to the reeds, but the slides c d e are perforated with cilannels of different formation, as shown in figs. 2, 3,' and 4, iig. 2 beingA a plan of the slide c; fig. 3, a plan of the slide-d; and iig. 4, a plan of the slide e.

if the slide cis drawn out, and the slides d and e Y arepushed in, all the channels b b b2 are brought in communication with the windchest, and the wind is admitted to three sets of reeds.

By pushing in the slide c to the position shown iu iig. 2, the channels b are cut olf, andthe wind is admitted only to the channels b b; by pulling out theslide d to the position shown in iig. 3, the channels b are cut olf, and wind is admitted tothe channels bx b2, (provided the slides c and e remain in the position shownin fig. 1;) and, tinally, by pulling out the slide e to the position shown in lig. 4, the chambers b are out olf, and wind is admitted to the channels l) b.

If all the slides are brought to the position shown in figs. 2, 3, and 4, all the channelsb b* b are out ofi'.-

By arranging the slides ccl e one ou the-top of the others, only one guide-way is required, and the area of the wind-chest and of the reed-board can be reduced without reducing the number of stops.

'lhe form of the slides c d e may, however, be modi 1 fied, and said slides may be constructed in the form shown in igs.^2*, 3*, 4*, or they may be constructed in the form shown in fig. 5.

.If desired, each of my slides c d e may be constructed with twov or more sets of ports, each set governing the admission of wind to a separate set of reeds, and an instrument can thus be constructed which has two reedsto a note, in the bars from the low f for about twenty notes; tennotes above, three reeds to a note; and four reeds to a note in the upper treble, one, slide being suicient to control the admission of wind to the several sets of reeds.

The reeds of each register in my instrument are arranged in two or more rows, as indicated in the diagram, iig. 8, either on the surface ofthe reed-board or on the sides ot the reed-bar, so that room is obtained for two or more reeds to each note, and for pipes each covering two or more reeds.

Slides for more than three reeds to a note will be made like the slide e.

By the peculiar arrangement of my combinationslide, as above described, and by arranging the reeds of each register in two or more rows, as indicated in the diagram, g. 8, I am enabled to place the reeds on the reed-board so close together that one pipe, D, can Ybe -made to cover two or more reeds, and by the action of this one pipe the sound of all the reeds covered by said pipe is increased in volume and strength.

vThe object of bringing the reeds of different sets close together, so that two or more can be combined i'or one note, and covered by one and the same pipe, can also be effected by the means shown in tigs. 6 and 7. I n these figures, I have shown levers E, which are situated in the interior of the wind-chest, each lever i being made to act on two or more valves, F, which govern the admission ofthe wind to the 'reeds on the reed-hoard.A Said levers E connect, by suitable meehanism, with the ringer-keys of the instrument, so that by depressing one ot' the finger-keys, the lever or levers connected to it arecaused to release their valves, and the wind is admitted to the several reeds governed by 'each level'.

In 'the drawing, each of the levers E retains two wind-valves, F, said levers being drawn up against` these valves by India-rubber springs t'. The instrument is supposed to act by suction, not by a blast,

,and if one of the levers is depressed, itsvalves open by their own gravity and by thed suction, and the air passes through the reeds into the wind-chest, (which, in this case, would be more properly termed vacuumchest,) and both reeds governed by the two valves sound simultaneously.

1f it is desired to keep one set of wind-valves closed, and allow the other to open, a stop, G, is brought in operation. From this stop project arms j, which bear on those wind-valves that are to be kept closed, and by depressing the levers E, only those of the wind valves are permitted to open which are. not retained by the arms of the stops.

,The pipes D which cover the reeds may either' be placed over said reeds, as shown in fig. 6, or they may be cutopen at their sides, and placed with that open side against the reeds, as shown in lig. 1.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The arrangement of two or more slides in one and the same guide-way, in combination with the channels b b b2, forming the communication between the wind-chests and the reeds or pipes, substantially as shown and described.

2. The arrangement of two or more sets of ports, consisting of two or more openings in each slide, to

control the admission of the wind to two or more reeds to each note, either separately or in combination, as

set forth.

3. The arrangement of levers E in the wind-chest, to open'commuuication with reeds, arranged in two or more lines or rows to a register, in combination with stops G, substantially as set forth.

4. The arrangement of valves F, so constructed that they open by suction and gravity, as set forth.

CHARLES FREDERIC HILL.

Witnesses:

FRED. M. HILL, CHARLES W. HILL. 

